Volume 2, Chapter 18: The Might of a Renegade

Readying his normally bladeless sword, the Wolfsbane, Fenris stood his ground as several delinquents and fanatics mobbed him from different directions.

Despite vastly outnumbering him, they were kept unsettled by what felt like a sudden weight on their chests, an emotional trigger caused by entering the range of Fenris’ Influence.

Fenris went for the closest opponent on short notice, a fanatic whose stiff movements told him that he was not used to fighting. He quickly dispatched him with a crushing blow to his skull using the Wolfsbane’s hilt, then fended off more of his attackers with similar wild swings. A delinquent that tried to attack from behind was too late to react when Fenris surprised him with impalement through the throat, courtesy of the Wolfsbane’s hidden blade.

But soon enough, more delinquents and fanatics joined in. The vastly outnumbered Fenris began to unravel the black bandages covering his entire right arm just as the two forces swarmed him down.

◆◇◆

“That guy sure was tough. I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side,” Nico said as she surveyed the scene with her binoculars. “But it looks like the tables have finally turned. The unexpected team-up of our guys and our sworn enemies became too much for him.”

“Lemme see! Lemme see!”

Dolly failed to restrain her excitement when she snatched the binoculars off her bandmate’s hands and treated herself to the same view.

Nico pouted as her hands perched on her hips and droned, “You’re welcome?”

“Sorry, Nics. I’ll treat you to any dessert you want later,” Dolly sang without putting enough thought into it. “Now, let’s see what reward this idiot deserves for — oh.”

“Dolly? What’s wrong?”

“I’m starting to think that you spoke too soon.”

Observing the exchange between the two female members of her band, Mary Glow took the sudden stiffness in Dolly’s voice as her cue to jump back into the battlefield.

Watching their Tyrant leave so urgently spurned Dolly to do the same.

“Nico, we gotta get back to the band. I’m a hundred percent sure our soldiers need to get psyched-up more than ever.”

◆◇◆

Those who tried to drown Fenris with their numbers were dealt with swiftly. Before they could attack him further, multiple tendrils shot through their mouths and hoisted them high into the air.

What Fenris did was impossible for any normal human. Everyone who witnessed it was left stunned and speechless as a rarely spoken word echoed in their heads.

Renegade.

Rising back to his feet, Fenris raised his right arm as the last of its black bandages fell to the ground. Its appearance was anything but human.

〘 The First Law of Fenris: Santviento Metamorph 〙

Composed of a dark-green biochemical substance like slime, it oozed droplets that created ribbons of smoke when they hit the ground. Both delinquents and fanatics alike laid awed stares at the hanging bodies of their comrades, who all struggled in vain.

The corrosive properties of Fenris’ tendrils slowly melted through the rest of their skulls, but before any of the bodies could drop off dead, Fenris bunched them together and forcefully compressed them to form a human wrecking ball of considerable mass.

A wide swing full of centrifugal force sent the makeshift weapon orbiting around the Renegade and drawing circles of blood whenever it streaked against the ground. In no time and with hardly any effort, the wrecking ball of slime and flesh began clearing out the crowd, slamming into dozens of bodies and sending them flying.

Then Fenris spotted a delinquent with a submachine gun. The potential danger led to a reaction, where a black mass with glowing green outlines formed around his legs until it resembled the powerful hind legs of a wolf.

Fenris jumped, leaving a pair of tiny craters in the ground just as the delinquent tried to shoot him. The apex of his height was far greater than the average human due to the shape his legs had taken. While airborne, he glimpsed at which part of the crowd seemed to have the greatest number of people with guns, then lashed his human wrecking ball toward them with all the force he could give.

Bullets meant to intercept failed to stop the wrecking ball’s momentum, and an explosion of blood and guts erupted across its point of impact. With no more wrecking ball, Fenris quickly reformed his right arm to a vaguely humanoid shape before landing back on solid ground, just as a smaller group of delinquents and one fanatic with guns opened fire at him.

His right arm shapeshifted into a curved wall that shielded him from the bullet storm before absorbing them into its slimy mass.

The lone fanatic ceased shooting with her rifle.

“Fine. I shall step aside, for now.”

Hiromi Kobayakawa, the only member of Lord Xavion’s faction to possess a firearm, said that within earshot of Fenris before she disappeared into the safety of her fellow fanatics. It was a tactical retreat for the Gothic Lolita sniper.

As for the delinquents, they continued their attempted onslaught on Fenris’ defense with their submachine guns. Their relentlessness didn’t stop…

…until their gunfire turned into empty clicking.

“Oh, cra--!”

One of the delinquents toppled after a silent shot drilled through his skull.

“What the--?!”

Another delinquent dropped dead before she could assess Fenris’ counterattack.

The Renegade had mimicked a finger gun with his right hand and began firing back at every delinquent who held a gun or anyone else that tried to attack him. His aim wasn’t perfect, but he had plenty of ammo thanks to the partially-melted bullets stored in his right arm.

Now equipped with weapons that could attack from afar or up close and enhanced legs for mobility, Fenris took on a more aggressive approach on par with the psyched-up delinquents. He didn’t discriminate as he tore through anyone who stood in his way.

And “anyone” was everyone.

Just before the slaughter could rake in more delinquents and fanatics, Fenris stopped his rampage when an unusual female delinquent arrived nearby. Unlike the others he fought, this one wore multiple colors and had long, fiery hair that likened her appearance to a demon. She dropped in with a six-pack rocket launcher perched on her shoulder.

Another entity approached them after his followers split to form a passage for him. The hood of his black Xinese uniform shadowed his face. Dark ethereal energy glowed in his hands.

Instinctively aware of their place in this conflict, all delinquents and fanatics on the battlefield began to clear away.

Soon enough, only Mary Glow, Lord Xavion, and Fenris remained under the gazebo’s center.

Fenris pointed his right hand, still shaped as a finger gun, between the two Tyrants in anticipation of who might strike first.

Unsure of whom he was really pointing at, Mary Glow propped her rocket launcher to stand next to her and readied a pair of throwing spikes, right as a spherical blast of yin qi hurtled toward her!

Lord Xavion’s impatience led him to strike first. Mary Glow dropkicked the rocket launcher and sent it barreling toward Fenris while also using the rebound to dodge Lord Xavion’s projectile. It became clear to her that the appearance of an unknown newcomer didn’t mean she and her arch-nemesis were now allies against a potentially bigger threat.

With the strength granted by his wolf-like legs, Fenris leaped over the barreling rocket launcher. He expelled a few bullets from his finger gun at Mary Glow, who dodged by zipping herself to a nearby parked car after tethering one of her throwing spikes through one of its windows.

That was a bad move on my part, but I had no choice, Mary Glow thought. The moves she used so far probably informed Fenris of her capabilities. Her nimbleness and ability to move quickly in different directions, thanks to her wired throwing spikes, probably meant she was now seen as the priority kill by both her opponents in this three-way standoff.

Lord Xavion continued his assault with another sphere of yin qi but hurled it toward Fenris instead. With almost no time to prepare a proper defense, the Renegade blocked the incoming sphere with his right arm and watched wide-eyed at how the dark energy seemed to devour his limb quickly.

He severed most of his right arm before the yin qi affliction could spread to the rest of his body. Just as the slimy limb was a second from touching the ground, the yin qi burned it, along with the bullets stored inside, out of existence.

Fenris wasn’t left handicapped, however. Within ten seconds, what remained of his right arm regenerated until it was back to proper form.

Now aware of how far his last attack went, Lord Xavion shifted into a stance and began gathering more yin qi between his hands—

“《 虎的 Path of the Tiger…”

—only to be knocked to the ground by a flying dropkick from behind.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about you,” Mary Glow said, the fangs of her facepaint stretching into a wide grin.

Lord Xavion growled as his hands glowed once again with yin qi, ready to retaliate.

“Likewise!”

But then the two Tyrants backpedaled, just in time to avoid a lashing strike from several strands of dark-green tendrils. The attack left a corroded gash on the asphalt.

Both Tyrants rushed toward Fenris. Even while barely avoiding multiple shapeshifting attacks from the Renegade’s right arm, Mary Glow and Lord Xavion continued to fight each other, hurling throwing spikes or blasts of yin qi whenever a window of opportunity presented itself.

Soon enough, they managed to close in. Fenris lashed at them again with a sideways swipe. Lord Xavion was struck and sent flying, but Mary Glow managed to flip over the attack and engage Fenris in close combat. Sparks flew in the clash between her throwing spikes and his Wolfsbane.

After a short exchange of blows, Fenris smashed his weapon’s hilt over Mary Glow’s head, only for the wily Tyrant to block that attack with a crossed pair of throwing spikes.

While locking their weapons at a stalemate, Fenris gradually angled the Wolfsbane downward until the opening of its hidden blade pointed at Mary Glow’s head. In a moment of panic, she pushed him away with a front kick to the stomach, leading him to drop the Wolfsbane.

“《 虎的 Path of the Tiger: Rancor Seeker! 路径》”

The time Lord Xavion spent sidelined from the fight allowed him to recover and perform that relentless technique.

Knowing what was coming at her, Mary Glow twirled the wires of two throwing spikes for extra force before launching them. Fenris, who was still stunned from the kick to his stomach, was too late to stop the spikes from puncturing deep into his chest. Mary Glow yanked him back, forcefully positioning him between her and the homing sphere of yin qi. She then escaped by performing an evasive breakfall, just as the sphere collided with Fenris.

Gnashing his teeth out of urgency, the Renegade blocked with his right arm after barely shapeshifting it into a wall roughly the same size as the sphere. As soon as they made contact, Fenris severed his arm and saved himself again from the yin qi’s erasure.

But then he looked back upon hearing a launching noise. His eyes widened.

“…!”

A barrage of rockets barreled toward him!

Mary Glow had taken the time to reclaim the six-pack rocket launcher she kicked toward Fenris during the start of the battle, aim at him, and fire.

With the Renegade’s right arm just starting its regeneration, using it to protect himself was impossible.

Almost all at once, the six rockets bombarded Fenris from behind. Each strike created a miniature explosion.

The battlefield went silent.

Slamming the heavy rocket launcher down and making it stand on one end, Mary Glow marveled at the perfect execution of her setup and grinned ear-to-ear.

“And that’s a wrap.”

Delinquents went wild with cheers as the Tyrant’s band played a short but sweet victory tune. The fanatics began to shudder, fearing their Tyrant was next.

The explosive smoke began to clear away. Mary Glow dropped her grin and squinted for a closer look.

She gasped, as did many others who felt the same.

“You gotta be kidding me.”

Fenris was down on one hand and two knees, but he was neither blown to pieces nor even damaged.

Taking heavy breaths as his whole body shook, he struggled back to his feet as his right arm finished its regeneration. The black mass covering his legs dissipated, taking away its animalistic shape and returning his lower half to human legs wearing ragged pants and mismatched shoes.

When he stood back up, everyone on the battlefield noticed his newest aesthetical changes.

Green tribal patterns appeared all over the Renegade’s body and clothes, fading in and out in ripples. To the delinquents, the patterns almost resembled their warpaint if not for its more complex design.

But Mary Glow and everyone else who shared her perspective saw what appeared to be a mark on Fenris’ right shoulder blade. It resembled a distorted butterfly, glowed the brightest green, and pulsated like a heart.

That was the location of his Stigma.

“…”

Fenris glared over his shoulder at the one who tried to bombard him with rockets. The whites of his emerald eyes had changed into an abysmal black.

Out of his messy long hair crawled a swallowtail butterfly. Green and ghastly in appearance, it fluttered its wings before wandering toward someone.

More swallowtails followed and spread across the battlefield as a swarm.

〘 The Second Law of Fenris: Pandemonium Swallowtail 〙

◆◇◆

“Well, that was quite the show.”

From her new vantage point atop the roof of a deserted restaurant, Hiromi Kobayakawa got herself comfortable and aimed a sniper scope.

Watching the Renegade fight her Tyrant and Mary Glow at the same time was entertaining while it lasted, but now it had run its course. The Renegade was now standing still after somehow surviving a barrage of explosions from a six-pack rocket launcher. Although the exact explanation of how he survived baffled her, she figured it wouldn’t hurt to try and put a bullet through his head with her parasol that also doubled as a Barret M82 sniper rifle.

Humming a classy tune, Hiromi adjusted her aim until Fenris lined with her crosshairs.

“A headshot for you in three, two… what?”

Something had fluttered into view and obscured her target before she could pull the trigger. Canceling her aim, she examined what got in the way of her scope. Her eyes brimmed with curiosity.

“And just what might you be?”

A green swallowtail butterfly was resting on the long barrel of her sniper rifle. Green wasn’t Hiromi’s type of color but the swallowtail’s ghastly blur whenever it beat its wings fascinated her.

Then, just like a ghost, the swallowtail phased into her gun as if possessing the weapon. In an instant, her beloved parasol/sniper rifle radiated a green glow before it fell apart in her hands.

All that preparation she took to retreat from the battlefield and find a safe place to snipe her target easily was all for nothing.

Hiromi could only stare speechless at what happened as the swallowtail phased out of her broken weapon and began hovering around her like a harmless companion.